San Rafael City Council to consider new lease for Pacifics

The San Rafael City Council on Monday night will consider whether to sign a new agreement for the San Rafael Pacifics to play at Albert Park.

The new agreement has the same basic ingredients as this year's, but would last three years instead of one, and has 15 new elements, many in response to comments and suggestions from people living nearby.

The Pacifics, an independent minor league baseball team, played 42 games at Albert Park this year, selling more than 32,000 tickets for the season running from June 4 to Aug. 26.

Attendance was an estimated 770 per game; the owners did not count the number of people at each game, according to the club's new ownership group.

With all expenses accounted for, the Pacifics pulled in $10,223.75 net income for the city. The team's gross income was $33,924, according to the city staff report.

The salary of a maintenance worker and other upkeep were the major costs.

The new lease would run through 2015 and would continue the team's 42-game schedule, not counting practice time, and including a playoff tournament over Labor Day weekend.

The first season of the Pacifics was watched over by a city advisory committee that included three neighborhood residents. A report from this committee noted that then-owners Centerfield and the city responded to the committee's concerns about jaywalking by putting barricades on the west side of Andersen Drive during the 2012 season.

"The barricades discouraged patrons from crossing on the curve of the road, where there is less visibility to on-coming traffic. This measure reduced, but did not eliminate, all pedestrian crossings in mid-block," the report said.

Under the new lease, the new owners would work with the city's traffic engineer to craft a pedestrian-safety strategy to reduce jaywalking on Andersen as people walk to and from the games.

In the interests of reducing noise, the owners would replace the current public address system and reduce any noise outside the park.

The advisory committee report said decibel readings were well within the requirements of the city noise element, and "within the target range for the use."

The city, however, received eight complaints for excessive noise during the season.

The Pacifics agreed to lower the volume after a July 16 meeting and no more complaints came in, according to the report.

Other proposed changes in the lease included replacing the infield, improving the restrooms and replacing the scoreboard. Money for these improvements would either be shared between the owners and the city or would be raised from outside sources.

Additional changes included moving game times to 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays; 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1:15 p.m. on Sundays.

The new lease also would have Pacifics personnel monitor game parking an hour before and a half-hour after game starts and having a community review done by the city Parks and Recreation Commission in July and September every year of the term.

The council meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at San Rafael City Hall, 1400 Fifth Ave.